9 - Designing Text Behavior

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By default, users can add text to any Microsoft Visio shape. When you design shapes, it's important to consider the position and appearance of the text block attached to a shape. Should the text rotate with the shape? Should the text resize with the shape? Should the shape be allowed to have text at all?

The variety of possible text behaviors is endless, but in practice only a limited number prove useful. After all, the goal is to produce good-looking, readable text. Because smarter text behavior usually involves larger, slower, and more complex formulas, you must balance the text block's sophistication with the expected uses for the shape. There is no single, simple answer, but consistency is important: Similar shapes should have similar text behavior.